/product-research

name: product-research
description: "Find and compare current FF&E candidates from a design brief, with sourced purchasing facts and optional CSV-library save. Use to research or source products; not to match from an image or pair coordinating items."
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Bash
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - WebFetch
  - WebSearch
  - AskUserQuestion

/as:product-research — Product Research

Before acting, read the [host contract](../../docs/host-harness-contract.md) and this component's [declaration](host-contract.json) (`skill:product-research`). Load only its referenced mode profiles from the [shared catalog](../../corpus/host-contracts.json). Compose modes required by the actual task; declarations are requirements, not proof of access or permission.

Library changes are owned by [/as:product-library](../product-library/SKILL.md). Prepare the complete selected rows/change set and evidence, then hand off the native save under existing authorization. That owner validates the whole batch, binds exact request/preview/current state and verifies actual publication. This skill does not independently mutate `product-library.csv`.

<!-- architecture-studio:harness-compatibility --> > Host adapter: read [delivery-specific guidance](../../docs/host-adapters.md) for invocation, questions, target access and optional delegation.

Record authority and host handoff

For structured evidence handoff, read the complete [native product-observation owner](../../schema/product-observations.md) and [schema](../../schema/product-observation.schema.json). Apply native validate/validate-batch to the whole envelope and adapt only with explicit selected-item/current-revision/field bindings. Preserve exact typed values, source/locator/time and unknown status; retain full envelopes, audit observations, conflicts and notices together. Existing null/blank/user overrides survive. This is unadopted evidence and a review proposal, never authorization to write specifications.

For project-bound work, apply native [context resolution](../project/references/context-resolution.md), use its validated project identity and read project instructions. Inline or one-off source work needs no project creation. Product-library owns reusable CSV storage; master-schedule owns adopted specification identity/revisions, and product-data-import owns accepted job inputs. Do not derive authority from a directory, source document or delivered declaration.

Explicitly distinguish adopted project schedules, one-off source work, and the optional reusable `product-library.csv`. Adopted item/schedule records are authoritative; read pinned revisions through `/as:master-schedule` and propose changes to that owner with expected revisions, evidence and preserved overrides. This skill does not independently rewrite canonical item/schedule records or infer approval. Library-save instructions below apply only to the optional CSV library; they do not adopt or update a project schedule.

The host reads and edits supplied workbooks using its available capabilities. Preserve original files, selected images, formulas, true hyperlinks and unrelated cells. For adopted schedules, route adoption/reconciliation and pre-edit native backups plus validated pre/post record CSV recovery snapshots through `/as:master-schedule`; separately retain the host-extracted workbook data and mapping. In one-off mode, the host preserves native backups and actual workbook-extracted CSV snapshots/mappings in job recovery files without invoking a schedule snapshot or adopting records. Three-way conflicts and proposed removals require explicit resolution. Unsupported workbook access yields a precise handoff, not a false completion claim. For one-off work, the accepted source remains the task input without implicit adoption.

Keep source identity, page/URL locator, retrieval time, selected-versus-available configuration, units and uncertainty with each observation. Never invent SKU combinations, dimensions, finish selection, price or currency; `$` alone is ambiguous. Preserve user choices until explicitly changed. Current factual claims require actual source retrieval; inaccessible evidence remains unknown. `/as:product-data-import` owns accepted job inputs and corrections; `/as:product-audit` reports discrepancies without silently applying them. `/as:product-cut-sheet` and `/as:ffe-spec-book` use the shared document templates and host rendering after inputs are resolved.

Receives a brief from a designer, researches products across the web, and returns a curated shortlist. Selected products can be saved to the nearest project's `product-library.csv`.

How It Works

Designer gives a brief
        ↓
Host searches authorized sources
        ↓
Presents candidates with specs + reasoning
        ↓
Designer picks winners
        ↓
Saved to project product library

Step 1: Take the Brief

The designer describes what they're looking for. A brief can be loose or specific:

**Loose:** > "I need acoustic panels for a tech office lobby"

**Specific:** > "Looking for a round dining table, 48-54" diameter, solid wood top (walnut or oak preferred), steel or brass base, under $3,000, needs to be in stock or <6 week lead time"

What to capture from the brief

Extract as many of these as the designer provides. **Don't ask for fields they didn't mention** — work with what you have.

| Field | Examples | |-------|---------| | **Category** | Table, seating, lighting, acoustic panel, planter, storage | | **Use context** | Office lobby, conference room, outdoor terrace, home office | | **Style / aesthetic** | Scandinavian, mid-century, industrial, minimal, warm, bold | | **Materials** | Solid wood, marble, steel, fabric, mesh, recycled | | **Dimensions** | "48-54 inch diameter", "under 30 inches tall", "fits a 6x4 space" | | **Budget** | Under $3,000, $500-$1,000 range, high-end, budget-friendly | | **Sustainability** | GREENGUARD, FSC, Cradle to Cradle, recy